Our Tradition/Lineage

All of the health and meditation practices that we teach were either developed within Taoism’s Water Tradition or have been adapted to be consistent with its principles.

Our teacher, Bruce Frantzis, learned the way of water, including tai chi, qigong, and meditation from the late Taoist sage Liu Hung Chieh of Beijing, China.

At Toward Harmony we strive to teach the practices we have learned from Bruce in forms consistent with his and Liu’s teachings.

We offer a diverse set of these practices, different ones of which will appeal to different people at different times. All are based on the same principles of development, so when you learn any of them, you are learning a facet of a whole.

Scroll down or click these links to read about the qigong, tai chi, and breathing practices that we teach.

Qigong (also spelled chi gung) is the art of developing the life energy of your body, which the Chinese call chi (pronounced "chee", sometimes spelled "qi").

Taoism and Chinese medicine teach that if your chi is full, freely flowing, and balanced, good health will follow.

The qigong practices we teach are from the Taoist Water Tradition and help you to become more healthy, centered, balanced, and connected to the world around you.

Please explore the Classes section of our main menu to learn more about the different qigong classes that we teach.

Tai Chi’s basic practice consists of a gentle flowing progression of movements known as a form.

Tai Chi was originally developed as a martial art rooted in qigong.

We teach its qigong and moving meditation aspects.

Please explore the Classes section of our main menu to learn more about the tai chi classes that we teach.

Would you like to breathe in a more natural, relaxed, and relaxing way? Anyone can learn how.

Our breathing practices are based on the way babies breathe - naturally, deeply, and with all parts of their bodies moving with each breath.

Taoists in ancient China observed the way babies breathe. They then developed our practices to relax and release unnatural breathing habits that we all acquire in life.

Such breathing gave them:

• deep relaxation of their entire bodies
• calm and quiet minds and nervous systems
• greater energy and better health
• more balanced emotions
• and - if they wished - a pathway into meditation and spirituality.

We are not currently offering a breathing class. Please contact us if you are interested in learning about breathing.